Grace
by masked and anonymous
Summary: When Chandler gets into an accident, how will it affect his future, especially with Monica. Oh, and the baby on it's way? Twist in the final chapter...
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note_  
_ok, so my first story... can't promise it will be any good but i will try my best. Please review :) Thanks!_

_Oh, almost forgot... I don't own friends etc etc_

**Chapter 1.**

When Chandler Bing set out to work that morning he didn't realise just how much that day was going to affect him and his future.

_No one ever does_.

Work was, as ever, boring as hell and he could not wait for the clock to reach five so he could finally go home to his apartment. And Monica. _Monica_, his beautiful wife, he hadn't been seeing much of her the past few weeks. Work was crazy for both of them meaning they were out from eight in the morning until ten some nights. Then, when they got home they would be too tired to do anything other than fall asleep in each other's arms.

But not today. No. Chandler was finishing on time for the first time in weeks and Monica had the day off. Five o'clock could not come fast enough. When it did, Chandler logged off his computer, grabbed his briefcase and ran out the door.

_Freedom._

Running through the grey suburban streets, Chandler couldn't help thinking of what they, he and Monica, could do when he got home. Monica probably would have made dinner and it would be sitting on the table when he got back. They would enjoy the meal together then maybe watch a film cuddled up on the couch, or maybe they would just talk. Then, when the moon was high and covered New York in a milky light, they would go to bed and, y'know….

Chandler was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even check as he crossed Jones Street, he hardly ever did. It was a small little street in the middle of the Village and it was always quiet, even at this time. It was only as he started crossing he checked for traffic.

By then it was too late. The lorry came from out of nowhere.

_They always do._


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note_

_Ok, so here is chapter 2. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the reviews, you guys are very sweet! _

_Minchedder- Yeah, sorry about that, I have a bad habit of spelling it 'thru'; I'll try and stop it now :)_

**Chapter 2.**

Monica had been setting the table when she received the news. Chandler had been right, she had been planning to make a romantic meal for them to enjoy.

_Only, he would __never know_.

As soon as she put the phone down, Monica started pacing. It was what she always did when she wasn't sure what else to do or she was angry or frustrated. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over and rolled down her face. Chandler. In hospital. The doctor with whom she had spoken to had only said he was still unconscious and the next 24 hours would be critical.  
Finally gathering her thoughts, Monica grabbed her bag and jacket and walked down stairs. She knew the best option would be a taxi or even a bus but she felt like driving- it would take her mind off Chandler at least a bit.

It took about an hour to get to Bellevue; Monica parked the car then made her way across the parking lot. When she reached the entrance, she felt something kicking her from inside. That was when a new fear set in: _would her child get to know their father? _She knew the next 24 hours would be hell. She went to the main reception.  
'Hi, I'm Monica Bing, m-my husband, Chandler, he was brought in?'

'Yes he was, I'll just find his room for you' the overly cheerful receptionist said typing away at his computer.

'Ah yes. Mr Bing, he's in room 244 on the second floor. There's a lift right over there' he said pointing to the far side of the plain waiting room.

'Thanks' Monica said then walked over. As she walked over, she couldn't help wondering how everyone didn't go mad, everything was white. Sure, she liked things clean, but boring? Definitely not, she liked colour.

The lift seemed to take forever as all lifts do in situations like that. Eventually, the doors opened to reveal another white waiting room, if it wasn't for the giant number 2 on the opposite wall, anyone would think they were in fact back on the ground floor.

A man in a white coat approached her as she stepped out of the lift.

'Hello, are you Monica Bing?' he asked in a calm, confident way typical of doctors.

'Yes. How's my husband?' the doctor's general calmness seemed to have rubbed off on her some.

'Well. We've managed to stabilise him and we think if he survives the next 24 hours, his chances are pretty good. He has a bit of bruising to his face, cracked ribs and a broken arm, although he has improved since we brought him in. He is still unconscious though.'

'Thank you, can I see him?' Monica asked shaking slightly.

'Yes, of course. His room is just down that corridor, third door on the right' the doctor pointed towards an open door to the right. Monica started walking towards it.

'Oh' the doctor caught up with her 'you may want to call other friends of Chandler's. Any relatives. You can use the phone by the reception'

'Ok thank you' she just needed to see him.

When she reached his room it was a bit of a shock. The room itself was plain white like the rest of the hospital although it seemed they'd tried to make it brighter by putting flowers by the window and an Andy Warhol print on the wall opposite the bed. Chandler himself lay on the bed in a hospital gown covered by a blanket. He had a bruise on his forehead and his left arm was bandaged. The only noise came from the heart monitor as it gently beeped in the corner.

Monica hurried over to the bed. She held his hand as she cried. After about ten minutes she realised it would be best to call the others and let them know what was going on, the longer she waited, the harder it would be. Her unborn child kicked again.

'It'll be ok' she whispered 'he'll get better, he has to'


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note_

_Thank you again for all of your reviews :) I've changed this chapter about a zillion times so I hope this is ok… I apologise in advance if there are any grammar/spelling mistakes as I'm finding it hard to concentrate thanks to someone outside with what sounds like a rather large drill, I may go kill them with it in a minute…_

_Once again I don't own friends blah blah blah_

**Chapter 3**

Monica didn't want to leave Chandler but she knew it would be better to get those phone calls out of the way.

'I'll be back baby' she whispered, kissing his forehead. Then she slipped quietly out of the room and down to the reception.

She hated to be the bringer of bad news but it couldn't be helped. She dialled Ross's number; it rang four times before Rachel answered.

'Hello?'

'Hi Rach. It's me.' She spoke in a rushed manner, wanting to get the calls done so she could get back to Chandler.

'Oh hi Mon, are you ok? You sound a bit…'

'No. Where's Ross anyway?'

'He and Joey went out somewhere about 5 minutes ago. I was just about to leave'

'Oh…ok'

'Why, what's up? You're scaring me'

'Chandler was involved in an accident. He's in Bellevue, I…I'm with him now' Tears filled her eyes again.

'Oh honey I'll be right there. I'll try and call Ross's cell ok?'

'Ok, thanks Rach, I'll see you soon'

'Yeah. Will you be ok?'

'I don't know. Just hurry up'

'Ok, bye' Sensing her best friends pain, she knew she had to get there. And fast.

'Bye'

Monica hung up then dialled Phoebe.

Repeating the news to everyone made it finally sink in_._

_Her husband, her Chandler. In hospital. Next 24 hours were critical_…

She could barely speak to Chandler's mom and a doctor had to talk to her. Monica sunk down into a chair and cried whilst the doctor repeated the awful news.

'Ok, I will. Thank you' the doctor hung up

'She said she'll be down as soon as possible' he said to Monica.

'Thank you' she said

'Anyone else you want me to call?' the doctor asked her

'Yes, ju...just his dad. There's the number' she handed the doctor her address book.

'Thanks, you go and wait with your husband, I'll take care of this' he smiled.

Monica nodded then slowly walked back down to the room wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She opened the door carefully

'Hi honey, I'm back now' she whispered then she held his hand and continued talking about their future and their unborn child.

'You're going to be fine' she told him, although she was fighting back more tears, 'what did I tell you about my team always winning? You're on my team so you have to be fine! I'll even let you name our child. Just please wake up'


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's note_

_Well, same as always, I don't own Friends or the characters, although I now own a giant lollipop, but that's not really the same :) _

**Chapter 4**

Monica had been sitting there for about 30 minutes when Rachel walked in.

'Hey Rach, thanks for coming'

'I'm so sorry honey' Rachel said walking over to hug her.

'Did you call Ross?' she asked

'No, I tried. A lot. I've left some two messages and one more in his apartment'

'Okay thanks'

'You look exhausted, want some coffee?'

'Yes please'

Whilst Rachel was getting the coffee, Phoebe walked in.

'Sorry I took a while, this guy Jake kept making passes at me when I was massaging him but I told him where to go'

Monica tried to laugh 'Well at least you're here now, Rach has gone to get coffee, she'll be back in a minute'

Phoebe took her coat off and sat down on a chair on the other side of the bed.

'You brought your guitar?' Monica asked raising her eyebrows.

'Yes, I thought it might wake him up, I wrote a new song especially'

'Oh… well, thanks. Maybe tomorrow'

The door opened. Rachel was back with the coffee

'Oh hey Phebes' she said, noticing her friend in the other chair. Rachel handed the coffee to Mon then perched on the arm of her chair. They sat in silence for a few minutes, all of them watching Chandler.

'Where are the other two?' Phoebe asked

'We couldn't reach them but I left a message' Rachel said

A doctor, the same one Monica had spoken to before, came in to do Chandler's obs. The girls sat in silence as not to interfere.

'Well, good news, he has improved quite a lot. It may not seem that way to you but trust me, he has. It's just a matter of when he will wake up, then we can fully assess his condition' the doctor said _God, did he ever stop smiling_ Monica thought but instead she simply asked

'So you think he's going to make it?'

'I'd say there's a good chance' the doctor said 'but let's see how he is when he wakes up first' he smiled then left.

Monica sighed and sat back in her chair.

'See' Rachel said 'He's going to be fine'

'Yeah' Monica said 'I hope so. God I miss him and this little one needs a dad' she looked at her stomach. Rachel nodded, 'he'll be fine'.

'If you want' Phoebe said 'I know this… thing we can do to guarantee he wakes up'

Rachel and Monica looked at each other. They had a good idea what this 'thing' would involve.

'Look, we appreciate the gesture but I don't think it's really appropriate to dance naked in a hospital' Rachel said

'Fine then' Phoebe said 'it would have worked but, your choice'

Rachel shook her head then looked at Mon.

'He's going to wake up, just you wait'


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note_

_Ok so this chapter is set the next day, sort of late morning. I don't know if I like this chapter, then again, I don't much (if any) of my own stuff (trust me, I went out of the room when my music teacher played one of my clarinet performance type things to the class)._

_Still don't own friends although the copyright will run out soon surely? :)_

**Chapter 5**

"We just heard" Ross said, rushing in with Joey close behind him.

"Oh, you made it, anyone would think you had been hit by a lorry" Chandler said slowly sitting up.

He'd finally woken up in the early morning much to everyone's delight, especially Monica's. The doctor had said he would almost definitely make a full recovery and would be free to go in a few days; he would just have to take it easy.

"Hey, glad to see you're ok man" Ross said

Chandler raised his eyebrows and looked at his bandaged arm.

"Well, at least you're awake" Ross corrected, saving face. Joey looked quite pale but looked relieved seeing that his best friend was alright. Rachel stood up and went to find more chairs whilst they were talking to Chandler.

"Yeah, he woke up this morning" Phoebe said "I was disappointed"

"Why thank you Phebes" Chandler laughed, the accident certainly hadn't affected his sense of humour, or that may have been the drugs.

"Well, Monica said if you hadn't woken up by today I could play you my new song"

"Oh" Chandler said "and how does that go?"

"Well, it's not really finished but something like this" she picked up her guitar and started playing

"_Chandler Bing,_

_I will cut off your thing,_

_If you don't wake up,_

_And… and give me a cup_

_A cup full of ri…"_

"Well, I think that would have woken me up" Chandler smiled then he turned slowly to Monica "so I get to name our child?"

"Oh, you heard that?" she blushed; she'd only been half serious at the time.

"No, I'm telepathic"

"Sure, but yes. You can name our child" Monica smiled at him, glad to see he was back to making his usual jokes.

"Well, let me see. Ow!" He winced then gently moved his arm into what was presumably a more comfortable position.

The pain medication was wearing off.

"You ok man?" Joey asked, obviously worried

"Yeah, just need more pain killers" he reached for the button that would summon the nurse but within a few seconds he lay back, obviously in too much pain.

"I'll go find a nurse" Monica said getting up, growing accustomed to what Chandler needed.

"Thanks" Chandler tried to smile.

Monica came back about 2 minutes later with a nurse who quickly gave Chandler some more dia-morphine.

"Ok sweetheart" she said "It'll take about 15 minutes to work" then she walked out.

15 minutes later Chandler seemed much more relaxed to everyone's relief, they hated to see him in pain, especially as he was the joker of the group. Monica kissed him gently as he was drifting off to sleep.

"As for the name thing" she said stroking his good arm "we'll talk about it later"

Everyone was in a much better mood since Chandler had woken up, even though they were tired. Monica hadn't slept all night but that didn't even matter to her now Chandler was going to be alright.

_Footnote:__ I don't know if someone in Chandler's position would have been given dia-morphine__. __I don't really know the names of other strong pain killers other than morphine and I think that would have been too strong__ and I think dia morphine is the next step down…_


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's note_

_Ok, so chapter 6. For some reason I found this quite hard to write but see what you guys make of it…Sorry I haven't updated for a while, the internet went funny but now it's working again! (Mini wave in celebration of BT for fixing it) :) Also, sorry if the chapters aren't that long (they look longer on word), I'm kind of busy at the moment, I have to practise my clarinet quite a lot because I have an exam coming up and my grandad is teaching me critical thinking as they only do it at AS level at my school and you also have to do some project thing as well which sucks. Anyway, hope that didn't bore you too much :)_

_Once again I don't own friends etc._

**Chapter 6**

Chandler only had to stay in hospital for another week. He would have to take pain medication twice a day for a while but he didn't care; he was going home. The rest of the gang packed his bags for him whilst Monica helped him get changed. When he was ready a nurse brought a wheelchair and Monica wheeled Chandler to reception where waited for Phoebe to arrive with her grandmother's cab.

"Goodbye Mr Bing" Another of his nurses said "And remember, you have to rest and take your medication"

"Yes, thank you" he replied and she walked away towards the ward.

Chandler looked towards Monica

"Things aren't going to be the same are they?" he asked

"No, not at first anyway. Don't worry; things will get back to normal eventually"

"I hope so" Chandler smiled sadly

Phoebe arrived pretty quickly and soon they were on their way home. The journey took just over an hour, Phoebe drove carefully. The accident had made all of the gang more cautious when driving or crossing roads. When they reached Greenwich Village, Phoebe dropped the others off then found somewhere to park.

Monica helped Chandler upstairs whilst the others walked behind them, Ross carrying Chandler's bag.

"Welcome home" Monica said once they reached their apartment.

"Yeah it's good to be back" Chandler replied putting his arm around Mon.

"You go and watch TV and I'll make dinner" Mon said, helping him over to the couch.

"Thanks babe" he replied. He flicked through the channels trying to find something good to watch. Eventually he settled for a documentary about a band from the sixties who he used to listen to a lot.

Monica set about making dinner for them, she decided to make macaroni cheese with hot dogs (one of Chandler's favourite meals).

Ross went into Monica and Chandler's room and put Chandler's bag down on the bed knowing that if he unpacked, Monica would insist it was 'wrong' and put everything in its 'proper' place.

"You making mac 'n' cheese?" Joey asked

"Yes" Mon said "but I was hoping it could be just me and Chandler tonight, if that's alright"

"Yeah, of course" he said walking into the fridge to find food. He came out with a whole packet of salami and two cans of diet coke.

"Sorry I'm late" Phoebe said as she walked into the apartment.

"No it's ok" Monica said grating cheese.

"I brought food" Phoebe said, then seeing that Monica was already making dinner she sighed.

"Sorry guys, just me and Chandler tonight" Mon repeated.

"Well, more for us then" Joey said grabbing the bag off Phoebe "you got Chinese? Wow" he practically ran across the hall into his own apartment. The rest quickly followed.

Chandler tried to absorb himself in the documentary but he couldn't help wondering how much his life would be affected. And Monica's too. She'd be the one who had to put up with him for the rest of her life. God knows what the future had in store.

"Honey, dinner's ready" Chandler's thoughts were interrupted by Monica. Then he noticed something.

"Oh, the fancy china. Are we expecting the queen?" Chandler asked

"No, you were right. We hardly ever use it so, to celebrate you coming home, there you are"

"Thanks, it looks great" Chandler said as Monica handed him his plate.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's note_

_Ok, so this may be a bit rushed… sorry about that! It's basically a 'where everyone is now' sort of thing, well, you'll see :)  
Once again, thank you all for your reviews!  
Still __don't own friends lalalala…._

**Chapter 7**

Gradually everything got back to normal, although Chandler had to stay off work for a month which he was pleased about. When he finally went back, he was especially careful crossing the road and some mornings Monica dropped him off. He always made sure he got back on time otherwise Monica became worried but gradually that faded. As for Phoebe's song, let's just say Monica found it a useful way to get Chandler out of bed in the morning…

Ross and Rachel found themselves getting closer once again; both realising they wouldn't know what to do if the other was in an accident. They managed to put aside all of the problems that had kept them apart and started dating again. They were sure it would lead to more this time and 2 months later, Rachel moved in with Ross.

Joey and Phoebe were the same as ever, Joey had been slightly shaken up by the accident but gradually managed to get into his usual pattern of sleeping with a different woman every night and eating most of the food in the fridge in one sitting. Phoebe still played at the coffee house and used the accident to write more songs, with Chandler's permission.

8 months after the accident Monica gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She had Monica's eyes and it appeared she was getting Chandler's sense of humour, much to Monica's disappointment. Monica kept her promise and Chandler got to name her: _Cassidy Geller-Bing. _He decided it was only fair to hyphenate her name.

Monica, Chandler and Cassidy soon settled into family life and their friends helped out, babysitting when they both had to work late and whenever they needed a break. Chandler had made a complete recovery although now he was VERY careful when crossing the road.

A month after Cassidy's birth, they found a nice little house in Westchester and after a lot of talking decided it was the best place to raise a child. So, after many protests from their friends, they moved in. It was perfect, everything they could hope for.

At the end of their first day there, Monica and Chandler stood in the doorway looking out on their new neighbourhood (Cassidy was staying with Ross and Rachel). Monica reached up and gently kissed Chandler.

'It's perfect' she said

'I'm glad you're happy babe' Chandler put his arms around her.

'It's like everything is fitting into place now'

'You know, Ross isn't bringing Cassidy back until the morning…' Chandler loosened his grip.

Monica smiled, with that; they rushed inside to their bedroom.

_Footnote_

_The next chapter will be the last:) I'll try and get it done soon, maybe even later today, definitely before I go on holiday because it will annoy me if I leave it._


	8. Afterword

_Author's note_

_Ok, *drum roll* so this is it. The final chapter… hope you enjoy it! You guys will probably kill me for this but before you get your pitchforks please read!  
__P.s. I hope you understand what's going on here, or in the words of Paul Simon 'I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued' _

**Afterword**

Hi. My name is Cassidy Bing and I'm 15 years old. I live with my mom, Monica Geller, in Ozone Park, Long Island. My dad died 15 years ago in an accident involving a lorry; my mom doesn't like to talk about it. She moved soon after the accident. I kept my dad's last name. Mom said it was best, a way to remember him.

We moved to Long Island to be closer to her parents, my grandparents but of course they don't live too close and that's better really. I like where we live. It's where Jack Kerouac (the author) lived with his mom when he was in his 30's perhaps.

Oh yeah, I want to be a writer and I love the Beat generation, especially Jack Kerouac. Mom gave me all of dad's Kerouac books (she said reading them made her upset) and I read them and now I want to be a writer. Mom says dad would be proud. _Especially of this one, my first novel_.

Well, my first proper novel anyway.

I owe it to dad's memory to tell the truth and not leave you with a false impression that everything turned out ok.

Dad died two weeks after the accident. He took a turn for the worse suddenly. No one saw it coming, even the doctors, he was doing so well. They were sure he was going to make it.

Mom got a call at four in the morning- one of the only nights she had gone home. She was a mess according to Uncle Ross and Aunt Rachel, she was even talking about moving state but they convinced her to move here, Long Island.

She learnt to move on.

We all did and we all have. It doesn't mean dad's forgotten. He isn't, it just means we can get on with our lives.

Now everyone's doing fine. We go into the city at least once a week to see Joey and Phoebe and her family. She got married to this piano playing guy called Mike, he's pretty cool. They have a kid called Alice.

Joey moved into a different apartment when we moved, he said it was the only way to get over what had happened, _every time he so much as looked at the doo__r of apartment 20 he couldn't help but remember_.

Ross and Rachel bought a house in Albany so we see them nearly every day. They had moved in together about a year after the accident and they are now happily married with two kids, Emma and Chandler (in memory of my dad). Just after the accident we saw them all the time, they were worried about mom, especially Ross but it was ok because he knew how to comfort her.

As for me, well, I wasn't even born when all of this was happening so I've had to rely on information from others for this novel mainly, but I can assure you that no names or dates have been changed. I really wish I had the chance to meet my father but I know that can never happen.

I wrote this novel in his memory, to make him happy, in a way. So now you know the truth about everything. I didn't lie exactly; I just wanted to give my parents the happy ending they deserved.

_Footnote_

_Ok, so that's it, I hope you enjoyed it. I would just like to thank my literature teacher for showing us the film 'Atonement' (and then ABANDONING us, but it's ok because I nicked two of the books he lent me. Ha) which is what this is based on, well, the idea of it anyway. If you're confused by it, try and imagine this whole story as a novel written by their daughter :) Anyway, thanks for reading x_


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